Kareena Kapoor's security beefed up after threats from religious groups

Published January 22, 2015
Kareena Kapoor. – Photo courtesy: NDTV
Kareena Kapoor. – Photo courtesy: NDTV

Almost two weeks after a morphed picture of Kareena Kapoor appeared on a religious group's magazine cover as a warning against the so-called phenomenon of 'love jihad', the actor is said to have beefed up her personal security, Midday reported.

'Love jihad' is an alleged activity under which young Muslim boys and men reportedly target young girls belonging to non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by feigning love.

Earlier this month Kareena was the target of a campaign of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) women wing aimed at "reconverting" Hindu women who married Muslim men. The actor was targeted in a magazine published by VHP's women wing also known as Durga Vahini.

Magazine cover shows Kareena's face half-covered with a veil
Magazine cover shows Kareena's face half-covered with a veil
The magazine cover, which went viral online, shows Kareena's face half-covered with a veil.

Apart from targeting Kareena as a poster for the campaign itself, Rajni Thukral who publishes the VHP magazine told Hindi publication Amar Ujala in an interview that India's youth was getting influenced "by people like Kareena..."

Following threats from religious groups, sources said Kareena has hired more security apart from tightening the arrangements already in place at her residence.

A source told Midday: "With the ongoing love jihad debate, Kareena is concerned about her safety. Unlike a few other stars, she never felt the need to be escorted or chaperoned, until now."

However, another source said that there were no serious threats to the actor's life and that security had been enhanced as a precautionary measure.

While there has been no official response from Kareena, her husband and actor Saif Ali Khan had written an opinion piece for the daily Indian Express in October 2014 on the issue. Khan had written: "When Kareena and I married, there were similar death threats, with people on the Net saying ridiculous things about 'love jihad'. We follow whatever religion or spiritual practice we believe in. We talk about them and respect each other's views. I hope our children will do the same."

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